


a year of peace

by jollypuppet



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Advent Calendar 2012, Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 03:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jollypuppet/pseuds/jollypuppet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once a year, on Christmas, groups of angels visit Earth's holy lands and exalt the Lord's son.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a year of peace

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've written for Supernatural, this was fun. :D Written for [**Advent Fic Calendar**](http://ailea.tumblr.com/post/36560557766).
> 
> Prompt: Caroling

"What do you _mean_ , you've never been caroling?!"

Sam rolls his eyes and goes back to tapping away on his laptop, looking up old Latin texts and Greek translations and whatever could lead him to the Big Bad that was currently ripping out housewife hearts in Nevada. Gabriel's sitting on one of the ratty motel beds and staring at him with disbelief, his mouth hanging open.

Without looking up, Sam replies, " _I've never been caroling_. Do I even look like the kind of guy that would go caroling?"

Gabriel throws his hands up and collapses back onto the bed. "I dunno! I mean, I _know_ Dean would never go around singing about Christmas, but didn't you have those happy-go-lucky friends in college? Didn't they ever drag you out or anything?"  
  
"I went to _law school_ , Gabriel," Sam tells him, "nobody ever had time to carol, we were all too busy studying our asses off." He looks at the screen of his laptop and frowns, reading the phrase _dead woman_ once, twice, before saying, "We weren't the jolliest of people."  
  
The archangel groans and snaps his fingers, and suddenly he's in the chair opposite of Sam. Sam raises an eyebrow at him.

"Are you really that lazy?" he asks, and Gabriel rolls his eyes.

He shrugs, and a candy cane materializes in his hand. He hooks it on the screen of Sam's laptop. "Hey, angels don't gain weight. No reason to not be lazy, if you ask me." He leans the chair back and props his feet on the table. "We love Christmas up in Heaven, as much as the commercialism has marred the tradition a bit."  


"I'm not sure if that sentence was more cynical or redundant." Sam says, bored. Gabriel rights his chair and stands up, rounding the table. He stands behind Sam and wraps his arms around the hunter's neck, and points to the laptop.

With a flick of his finger, the windows minimize rapidly until only one is left. He points his finger down, and the article scrolls until it hits --

"Dwarves?" Sam asks, confused.

Gabriel rests his head on Sam's shoulder. "Trust me, those weirdos are ten times more bloodthirsty than even Leviathans. And they're small, so it's creepy." He shivers dramatically for effect, and Sam chuckles for the first time that evening.

" _You're_ small."

"Well, yeah, but in the sexy way." Gabriel says, matter-of-fact, and with a surprising amount of force (though nothing is really surprising with Gabriel anymore, archangel and all) he turns Sam's chair around.

He arches an eyebrow. "You're _positive_ you don't want to go caroling with me?"  


Sam relaxes against the back of his chair, and Gabriel takes this as sign, for some reason, to casually straddle him for better effect. Nothing sexual about it, because at the moment, Gabriel's in the process of staring his boyfriend down with vigor, but Sam just suddenly finds himself with an angel in his lap.

He puts his hands on Gabriel's waist and looks at him, his expression blunt. "This motel's on a _highway_. All the people here are either weary travelers or businessmen trying to hide things from their wives. There's no reason to go caroling." He shrugs. "Besides, I can't sing."  
  
"And yet you do your damnedest impression of Springsteen every morning in the shower." Gabriel replies with a simper, and Sam pinches his side.

Sam scoffs. "Can _you_ sing?"  
  
" _All_ angels can sing." Gabriel replies smugly. "It's just how we're... built. We have to exalt God somehow, right?"  
  
The younger Winchester still doesn't seem impressed. "I can honestly say that I wouldn't even know where to _begin_ with caroling, Gabriel." He sighs tiredly. "And I'm exhausted. We've been running around for two days trying to figure out this whole... dwarf thing, and caroling just --"  
  
Gabriel's already pouting, though, so Sam figures he shouldn't beat a dead horse. Somewhere, the archangel knows that he's not going to change Sam's mind, so the hunter just mumbles 'sorry' and pecks him on the lips.

Then again, that doesn't necessarily mean he's through.

"Can I at least show you something?"  
  
Sam blinks. "What?" Gabriel's hand is glowing on his shoulder before he has the chance to object.

\--

"Where are we?" Sam hisses to Gabriel, putting a hand on his shoulder more to calm himself than to make any gesture toward the archangel, but Gabriel just smiles at him.

It's dark, but Sam can tell the building they're in is white and pristine, with high walls and what seems to be a stained glass dome above their heads. The only light in the room is coming from candles lit around the edges, and standing in rows are just...

Hordes and hordes of stone-faced individuals in white robes. Sam furrows his brow and wonders what the hell he's looking at, because at the moment, it looks a bit like a cult.

"Angels." Gabriel says without prompting. "Once a year, on Christmas, groups of angels visit Earth's holy lands and exalt the Lord's son. Explains the ceremonial robes and all that jazz." The archangel waves his hand dismissively. "They're all over the place, and most of them are at the Vatican, so I steered clear of that place. It's probably an absolute mess."  


"So where are _we?_ " Sam repeats.

"The Basilica of the Annunciation." Gabriel says calmly, but Sam blanches.

He looks at Gabriel, befuddled. "You mean the one in _Nazareth_ _?_ "  
  
"You've heard of it?"

Somewhere in the distance, a clock tolls and bells begin to ring. Gabriel grins excitedly.

"Watch this, watch this." he tells Sam excitedly, grabbing his hand and twining their fingers together. Sam watches the rows of angels in front of him with slight trepidation, and the bells suddenly halt.

An eerie quiet invades the church, moonlight pouring in from the dome above, and Sam waits, holding his breath without realizing it. Then, one of the angels, perhaps further back in the church than Sam could see, quietly utters one note.

After a moment, another group joins in, harmonizing, and then another, and another, and another, until all the angels in the building are harmonizing with one another, and then it all stops.

The hymn begins, and the candles grow brighter, the church being filled with a warm, golden glow. It's a slow, sweet, rich sound, and Sam watches in awe as the song continues.

"They're singing in Enochian." Gabriel mumbles, and for some reason, Sam could hear him over the beautiful sound. "They're thanking God for a peaceful year."  
  
Sam squeezes his hand and can only reply with, "Thank you."  
  
Gabriel smiles, and they listen to the rest of the song in silence.


End file.
